THREE people were recently added to the list of those who have contracted Influenza A (H1N1) in Region 7, health officials said yesterday afternoon.

But Dr. Cora Lou Kintanar, Department of Health (DOH) 7 spokesperson, said the three new cases were not from the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu-Mandaue (UCLM) campus.

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Instead, they are a 54-year-old Australian national, an 18-year-old Filipino who recently traveled to the United States and another Filipino who recently visited Hong Kong. All three are now hospitalized.

As of yesterday, Central Visayas has 19 confirmed cases. At least 155 persons were placed under observation.

Mandaue City is ready in case of a community outbreak, said Mayor Jonas Cortes. Six students of an in-campus dormitory have tested positive for the influenza A
(H1N1) virus.

Cortes also assured there were no reported flu-like symptoms in the community surrounding the UCLM.

Through the DOH’s mitigation strategy in dealing with the A (H1N1) virus, said Kintanar, UCLM’s influenza problem was immediately isolated, preventing what could have become a community outbreak.

She reiterated Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s statement that in order to assess the situation, classes will no longer be suspended if a community transmission is identified within the school.

The DOH has also modified its guidelines for the School Alert Response Level System, which now focuses on mitigation in all levels within schools.

Based on the modified guidelines, if a school falls within Response Level 4—in which a confirmed community outbreak of A (H1N1) is present within the community—school administrators are advised to practice reverse isolation.

Dengue

This means students and school employees residing in areas without community-level transmission should be advised not to report to school, until the number of people with influenza symptoms in the area or school subsides.

Students and employees will also be required to wear face masks.

A 10-day suspension of classes can only be called for Level 3, or when a confirmed case is present within a school.

In Lapu-Lapu City, officials were encouraged by the absence of any A (H1N1) case, but were bothered by reports that dengue fever has killed three and downed 144 others from January to May this year.

In the same period in 2008, Lapu-Lapu had 224 cases with four deaths. At least 500 cases were reported last year, with 12 deaths.

Among the recommended actions was the involvement of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation, under President Reymar Dico. He said the SK would need to coordinate with barangay officials if they are to conduct a clean-up drive as one strategy to prevent dengue fever, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

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Councilor Damian Gomez challenged the SK to show the organization’s capabilities by contributing in the dengue prevention campaign.

In his first monitoring report on the A(H1N1) flu virus, City Health Officer Rodolfo Berame said no symptoms were detected in 20 mainland barangays and 14 hotel-resorts in Lapu-Lapu. He heads the task force created to deal with the new flu strain in the city.

In Mandaue, Mayor Cortes already activated the Barangay Emergency Response Team in Barangay Looc, where the UCLM is located, to monitor flu symptoms in the community and to assist the DOH.

When three of six students first tested positive, health officials and school administrators immediately placed under quarantine the 600 nautical students who share the same five-story dorm.

Cortes added the Mandaue City Hospital is ready in case an outbreak erupts. The hospital already has an isolation room and special consultation rooms, where cases under observation are initially brought before being sent to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.

Sanitation and personal hygiene, he said, are the best weapons against the spread of the new flu virus.

The mayor also said he already alerted Looc Barangay Captain Cesar Cabahug Jr. and Cambaro Barangay Captain Vicente Domasian to discuss prevention of the flu virus, as well as other diseases like dengue fever.

“We tend to forget the ill effects of dengue” when everybody’s attention is focused on the flu virus, Cortes said. (JKV/OCP/AIV)